"Gravity" start not possible on dead-battery FI Festy?

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Today, after leaving my headlights on all day, I found the battery completely discharged. I pushed the car to the nearest (down)hill, got in, and figured I'd pop the clutch at 20mph to start. However, I got no response, despite having the ignition switch in the "on" position.

I've done these "gravity" starts numerous times before, but they may have been in carbed models, and the battery was never completely dead.

Question: Is there any reason a gravity start won't work with either a completely dead battery and/or a FI'd ('93) vehicle? Does it need just a little bit of electricity for the FI ECU???

I ended up waving down a passing Good Samaritan with my jumper cables and was on my way in 5 minutes.

[Rocketman]

A completely dead battery won't start the car when popping the clutch.

There needs to be just a little juice there to run the ECU, fuel injectors, coil, etc... it does not take much, but it can't be dead flat.

[worfdog]

An alternator needs some power to start making power. If the battery is completely dead, it will not work. It must have some electricity to excite the alternator to start producing power. Older vehicles with generators will not have this problem.

[200KGPGTP]

^^^Didn't know that. Good to know.

[shadetree]

Takes power to make power .
Edit. Slow phone .

[Pu241]

And if your battery is completely dead once you do get it going the battery will pull the maximum amperage possible. It will take out the main fusible link/cartridge fuse until the battery is partially charged. Best thing to regulate power to the charging circuit is let it idle for 10-15 mins. Otherwise, at highway speed the alternator can output enough current to smoke the fused main link. I did the same, left the lights on and got a jump. The normally 40 min return home took 3 hours and 4 cartridge fuses before the battery had enough charge to function.

[Movin]

An alternator needs some power to start making power. If the battery is completely dead, it will not work. It must have some electricity to excite the alternator to start producing power. Older vehicles with generators will not have this problem.

exactly! The residual magnetism will make enough power to start the engine
but the dead engine needs to be turning around 3000 RPM to even make enough to excite the field, make power and start the engine. That's a pretty long steep hill.

jump starting is generally safer and is less harsh to the drivetrain.

[Oren09]

I have push started a Festiva without a battery.
Just to see if it would, and it did. Died as soon as it stopped- but it did start.

[200KGPGTP]

I have push started a Festiva without a battery.
Just to see if it would, and it did. Died as soon as it stopped- but it did start.

Like, legit? Had acceleration?

[Oren09]

Yeah. Didn't shift gears but it did take off and drive.

[nitrofarm]

All the field winding needs is @ 9V. If your stuck in Alaska with this scenario again. A 9V battery can get it going.But you would need some test leads with gator clips. Or some wires & Red Green tape. I used to put a switch in series with my field winding when I drag raced. Saves a little hp

[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

Re PU241's caution about blowing fuses, I did let it idle for 5 minutes after being jumped, thinking I was putting enough charge back in to re-start if I stalled it at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill, then onto the freeway for 5 minutes to get home.

This morning, I ran 40 freeway miles of errands with 4 starts, all uneventfully.

Actually, the hill I was on last night was long/steep enough that I probably could have gotten it up to 3,000 rpm at 2nd-gear clutch engagement to force a start per Movin's suggestion. I might grab a dead (sitting in the weeds for 5+ years) battery and try that sometime.

Nitrofarm, I wasn't in AK. We only have about 50 miles of freeway-quality roads in the entire state (2.5 times the area of Texas), and none of it as "marked" Interstate. I've seen some government maps that show short stretches of "A-1" and "A-2" in Los Anchorage -- kind of like H-1, etc. in Hawaii, but the latter are posted as such.

[91mcnasty]

Have you dug into that b3 you grabbed a while ago from me ?

[nitrofarm]

LOL, I envisioned you in Alaska with Kodiak Bears drooling over you while trying to Bump start.

[iceracerdude]

It absolutely takes voltage to work the electric fuel pump and injectors think about it.
The days of mechanical fuel pumps and carbs are long gone.

I had some guys call me in a panic last summer "hey, do you know how to adjust points?"
A week ago, two guys were telling me "they actually met someone, knew how to "sweat a joint!"
Man do I feel old!